Leaving Our Legacy
by Weasley.is.my.king204
Summary: The story of the Marauders' last day at Hogwarts, and how they chose to leave their map behind.


So, this is just a one-shot about the Marauders' last day at Hogwarts.

Disclaimer: None of this is mine obviously. It all belongs to JK Rowling

The sunlight shone brightly through the large windows in the Gryffindor common room. It was early morning, and nearly all of the Gryffindors were out on the grounds, enjoying the brilliant sunshine and cool breeze on their last day before the summer holiday. However, there were two people in the Gryffindor common room. Remus Lupin was lying on the couch, his head propped up against the arm, reading a book on advanced defensive spells. Peter Pettigrew was sitting on one of the large chairs by the fire, playing with a few Zonko's jokes products. Peter looked up toward the stairs, as Sirius Black came sauntering down, a broomstick in his hand.

"Moony," he asked, "why are you still reading? Exams are over!" Remus shook his head in return.

"Just because school is over, Padfoot," he said lowering his book after finishing reading the page, "doesn't mean we have to stop learning." Sirius rolled his eyes and began polishing his broomstick.

"Why are you polishing your broom stick, Padfoot?" Remus asked cheekily. "Quidditch season is over after all, and you're not even on the house team."

"Prongs and I reckoned we'd go once around the grounds this afternoon. You know, for the last time."

The three Gryffindor boys were all seventh years, and it was their very last day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After they left on the Hogwarts express the following day, school would be finished for them, and they would be heading out into the wizarding world.

Suddenly, the portrait swung open and James Potter came through.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said. James had been having breakfast with his girlfriend, Lily Evans, and was still enjoying her company when the rest of the boys had finished and gone upstairs.

"Padfoot, got your broom all ready?" He asked, watching Sirius polish his broom. "I reckon we'll go closer to sundown. McGonagall would have a fit if we went around with all those people outside. "Still reading, Moony?" James asked laughing to himself. Remus answered by rolling his eyes. "You're just as bad as Lily," James stated. "Spent half the morning telling me about some charms book she started reading yesterday. Honestly, you'd think exams were coming up instead of already over."

"And I'm sure that Moony here got all top marks on his N.E.W.T.s, just like he got all "Outstandings" on his O.W.L.s," Sirius said in a mocking sort of way.

"No," Remus responded rather annoyed. Sirius stole a piece of parchment off the table in front of Remus.

"Liar," Sirius said thrusting the parchment that contained Remus' N.E.W.T.s back at him. Seeing that Remus had already opened his scores, James opened his as well. Sirius pulled his unopened scores out of his robes, and followed suit.

"Would you look at that, Prongs," Sirius said looking at his own scores, and over James' shoulder as his. "We've gotten all top marks."

"Just a few points off in potions," James said happily.

"Yeah, but you don't need potions unless your Snivellus," Sirius sad laughing to himself. James gave a half hearted chuckle. Ever since he started dating Lily, he tried to stop making fun of Severus Snape so much. Even though Severus and Lily were no longer friends, James knew it still upset her when people made fun of him.

"How you'd do, Peter?" James asked looking over at Peter, who was anxiously staring at his scores.

"Pretty well," Peter answered looking happily surprised. "Passed everything. Did very well in transfiguration," the boys all smiled mischievously to each other. Sirius, James, and Peter had all figured out how to transform themselves into animals a few years previously in order to spend time with Remus when he was transformed into a werewolf. "Pretty horrible in potions and charms, barely passed…"

"How'd you do in Defense?" James asked.

"Really well!" Peter said very excitedly.

"So our late night studying paid off," James said.

"Yeah Peter, James really saved your arse." Peter smiled sheepishly. Defense Against the Dark Arts was James, Sirius, and Remus' best subject. Since James and Sirius saw no reason to study for a subject they were sure to pass, Peter had spent his time with them traipsing about the castle as usual. He'd saved all his studying for the night before the exam, and then became quite frightened when he realized he did not know a lot. Remus had been too swamped with his own work to help Peter. He was taking more subjects then the rest of the boys, and had missed a lot of study time because he transformed only a few nights before. Sirius had nothing to do, but wasn't much for being serious and studying when it wasn't absolutely necessary. The night before the exam, Peter had all but burst into tears sitting in front of the fire, pouring over all of his notes that did not make any sense to him.

"Moony," he whined looking up at Remus who was sitting on the floor in front of the table, books and papers spread out everywhere, "can you please help me? I have no idea how to do this disarming spell." Remus looked pained as he turned to Peter. "Wormtail," he said gently, trying to be calm, "I'm…I'm really sorry, but I can't…I've just…I've got so much…" James cut him off.

"C'mon, Wormtail," James said lifting himself off the couch on which he'd been lounging, "Padfoot and I will help you, study." Sirius appeared stunned as he looked over at James and Peter making their way to the corner of the common room so Peter could practice.

"You're kidding, Padfoot," Sirius said. "It's almost one in the morning. This is the first day I haven't had to stay up helping Remus over study for everything, and you want me to stay up all over again, I need my beauty sleep."

"C'mon, Padfoot," James said. "It'll only be for a little while, and then you can get all the beauty sleep you need."

Unfortunately for the boys, Peter hardly knew how to perform any spells correctly, and he was so flustered that he kept messing up the ones he did know. Remus headed up to bed at about two, he had an ancient runes exam first thing in the morning. Sirius had nodded off on the couch at some point during the evening, and James had stayed up teaching Peter until four thirty in the morning.

"Thanks, Prongs," Peter said.

"Don't mention it."

"So," Remus said, placing his closed book on the table. "How will be spending our last day at Hogwarts before you two," he looked at Sirius and James, "ride off into the sunset this evening?"

"Dunno," Sirius said. "We'll find something to do." He packed up his broom polishing kit, and began to carry it up the stairs. "I'll grab your broom for you, Prongs."

"I was thinking," James said to Remus and Peter. "Our being the legendary Marauders, we should leave something here."

"You mean like a mark of some kind?" Remus asked looking intrigued. The four boys had called themselves the Marauders since their first year at Hogwarts. They were notorious trouble makers.

"What if we set off some fireworks in all the hallways?" Peter said. "Filch will lose it!"

"I was thinking of something more permanent," James answered.

"Hey guys," Sirius called, running down the stairs, James' broom over his shoulder. "Look what I found underneath my bed." James, Remus, and Peter walked toward Sirius, and they all gathered around an old worn piece of parchment. Instantly, all four of them had the same mischievous smiles spread across their faces.

"I forgot we hid it, when McGonagall was snooping around for Dungbombs," Sirius said. The old piece of paper suddenly had writing on it, sprawling lines stretching to the end of the page, and hundreds of tiny dots each bearing the name of its real life counterpart. The piece of paper was called The Marauder's Map. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had created it themselves. The map showed everyone in the castle and all the entrances to the seven secret passageways out of Hogwarts. The boys had spent so much time romping around the grounds when Remus was transformed, and sneaking through the castle under James' invisibility cloak, that they were experts on all the passages in the castle.

"You know what, guys," James said. "Why don't we leave this here?"

"Leave the map?" Sirius asked quite surprised.

"Sure," James answered. "It'll certainly leave our mark here."

"We won't need it anymore," Remus said.

"Yeah," Peter chimed in. "We all passed our N.E.W.T.s, so none of us will be coming back here."

"Help the future trouble makers of Hogwarts," James said.

"You know, Prongs," Sirius said. "I think this may be one of the best ideas you've ever had."

The boys immediately started planning where they would leave their treasured map.

"What if we leave in our dormitory?" Peter suggested. "Under one of the beds or something."

"No," Sirius said. "Then just anybody could find it. We want someone who's going to use it, not some goody-goody who'll turn it in to Professor McGonagall. What about in near the Whomping Willow? That's where this all started anyway."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Padfoot," Remus said. "It might not last outside, and it's far too dangerous for someone to be near the Whomping Willow if he doesn't know how to freeze it."

"Plus, Professor Sprout treats it when the branches break and stuff," Peter said. "She might see it."

"What about in the entrance to the kitchens or something?" Remus asked. "Merlin knows how many times were used the map to sneak in there."

"I don't trust the house elves," Sirius stated.

"Come off it, Padfoot," James said, "just because you're ruddy house elf if horrible, doesn't mean they all are."

"I'm just saying they are loyal to their masters. They might give it to Dumbledore or Filch."

"I have a better idea," James said, clearly excited. "Why don't we put it in the entrance of one of the secret passageways to Hogsmeade? Anyone who finds it will have to be sneaking out of Hogwarts, trouble makers for sure."

The boys all agreed that they would place the Marauder's Map in the entrance to the secret passageway behind a suit of armor on the second floor that lead to a covered whole in the street right next to the Post Office. It was the first secret passageway they had ever discovered.

Remus had taken the map to make sure that all of the enchantments were still in order. The Marauder's hadn't used the map in ages. They knew all the passageways by heart, and since James became Head Boy, they didn't need to worry about getting caught sneaking around, the Head Boy and Head Girl, Lily, along with all the prefects, got special privileges.

That afternoon the castle was still nearly empty, except for the occasional passing student. The Marauders stood across the hall from the suit of armor, watching the Marauder's Map in Remus' hands. They were checking to make sure the hallway was completely empty before they ventured into the passageway, and that Filch the caretaker and his cat, Mrs. Norris were nowhere near them.

"Alright," Remus said looking over the map. "The coast is clear, and Filch and Mrs. Norris are on the seventh floor. Let's do it now, people will be coming in for lunch soon."

James went to the suit of armor first, turned it to the left, and before their eyes, a narrow passageway opened. James went in first, and the rest followed, wands lit in front of them.

"Well guys," James said. "I say we leave it right here in the entrance. If someone comes in they'll definitely see it."

"Should we leave it open?" Peter asked. "If we don't then no one will know how to work it."

"Wormtail are you really that thick?" Sirius asked. "We can't leave it open. If someone else accidentally finds it, like a professor, they'll be able to spy on all the students. That would ruin it for people like us."

"If whoever finds it has any clue what it is, they'll be able to figure it out," Remus said. The other boys knew that Remus probably put a number of enchantments on it to ensure that it fell into the right hands. "And they're in for a treat once they do. I've included the spells needed to get through the other passageways."

"Alright then," James said. "I guess it's time to leave. People will be coming around for lunch any moment.

"I can't believe we're leaving it," Peter said. "It seems like just yesterday we started making it."

"I know," James said. "But now it's here for a new generation of rule breakers.

"Not that they'll ever be as famous as we are," Sirius added.

"To the Marauders!" Remus said.

"The finest trouble makers that Hogwarts has ever seen!" Peter added excitedly.

"Right then," Sirius said, taking the map from Remus and folding it up. "Mischief managed."

The lines and dots disappeared, and the Marauder's Map went back to being a normal piece of parchment. The boys climbed out of the secret passageway and moved the suit of armor back into place. All of the sudden, they heard a soft "meow" and realized that Filch and Mrs. Norris were headed in their direction.

"Quick, guys, over here," James said pulling the invisibility cloak out of his robes. The boys turned a corner, and crowded very close together against the wall. James threw the cloak over the four of them, it no longer fit all of them like it used to when they were young.

The boys watched as Filch, as nonchalantly as if he were cleaning mud off of the front steps after a rainstorm, went up to the suit of armor, turned it, and then proceeded inside the passageway, Mrs. Norris guarding the front.

"What's he doing?" Sirius said.

"Probably checking for Dungbombs," Remus said. "I bet he knows where it leads, and that we've been using it. Probably afraid we've left some Zonko's stuff in there."

"I told you that you were too slow last time, Wormtail," James said to Peter. The last time the boys had used the passageway, they had narrowly escaped Filch, or so they thought. Peter has clumsily scrambled in last, and it seemed that Filch had found out.

"It wasn't open that far," Peter said defending himself. "I really had to squeeze."

"You can transform into a rat!" Sirius said. "You can't get any smaller than that! If you had done that, you would have made it in quicker, and Filch never would have found out."

"How'd he figured out how to open it?" James asked.

"Well it's not like it's difficult, Prongs," Remus said.

"Yeah, it's not like you need magic," Sirius added.

"Sirius," Remus scolded. The boys discovered early on in their years, well more precisely Remus discovered, the Filch was a squib, and therefore could not do magic very well. The rest of the boys loved making fun of Filch, but Remus knew what it was like to be different, and didn't wanted to discourage them from making fun of him.

A little while later, Filch reappeared in the hallway, and moved the suit of armor back. The boys waited with baited breath, had Filch found the map? The look of triumph mixed with curiosity as he looked at an old piece of parchment clamped in his hand told them that he had.

"I think he knows what it is," Remus said. "He wouldn't look so smug if he didn't."

"But he won't be able to figure it out, will he Remus?" Peter asked. "It's closed, and you put those enchantments on it."

"No, Wormtail," Remus said. "He shouldn't be able to figure it out, but I suspect that it will be spending the rest of its life in a drawer in Filch's office."

"What'll we do?" Peter asked.

"Break into Filch's office tonight and steal it back, of course," Sirius said matter-of-factly.

James, who had been quiet during the conversation, thinking about what to do, finally spoke. "No," he said. "We'll leave it with Filch."

"What?" Sirius said.

"Think about it," James said. "Anyone else could find this secret passageway by accident. If we leave it in Filch's office, it's certain that someone good will find it."

"That is a good idea, Prongs," Remus said. "The only people in Filch's office would be rule breakers.

"And one of them will sneak a peek at his stuff if he gets the chance," Peter added. "We would."

"Brilliant, Prongs," Sirius said. "It'll have to be someone good to get past Filch and look through all of his stuff."

"Then it's decided," James said swinging the invisibility cloak off of the boys and pushing it back into his robes, since Filch and Mrs. Norris had gone. "We'll let Filch keep the map in his office until some other worthy trouble makers come along and find it."

I hope you liked it. Please review! :] 


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